Sewing-machine-needle guard



J. G.. BAILEY.

sswmc MACHIN E NEEDLE GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.I9,1920.

, 1,407,1 1-4;, Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

fig

,J. G. BAILEY.

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE GUARD.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19. I920.

1,407,1 1 4, Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

To all'wiwmz'tmag concern;

Be'it known that I, JAMES G. BAILEY, a

- citizen of the United States, residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and use- 7 ful Improvement in Sewing-Machine-Needle Guards, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingi drawing. My improvement relates to a device to be attached to sewing 'machines adjacent the needle to protect the fingers of operators from injury by the needle.

The object ofthe invention is to'provide such a guard in the "form .which may be easily and cheaply manufacturedand may be convenient y applied to and adjusted on the sewing machine. V

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig-'1 is a perspective view showing my improved guard attached in the work posi tion on the presser bar ofv a sewing machine; a

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same guard turned away from the needle barto afford, access to the bar for adjustment or replacing of the needle or the thread;

Fig. 3- is' a horizontal section on the line, 3-3, of Fig. 2; r i

Fig; 4 isa side view of a sheet metal blank from which the body of my improved guard is formed;

;Figs.' 5 to 11, inclusive, forms of my guard.

Referring first to Figs. 1,2, 3 and 4:, A is the usual presser bar carrying-the presser "downward on thebar. -Set screws, G ex.

foot, A B is the usual needle bar.

A horizontal arm, 0, has a hub, C ,'which surrounds. the presser bar, A, and is fitted to saidbar so as .to: permit sliding upward or tend through said hub and bear against the 'presser bar to secure the arm, C, rigidly on said ibar, An arm, D, overlaps and is hinged to the outeror free end of the arm, C.

a horizontal face,'C which extends to an upright shoulder or abutment, C. D, has a hub, D which is seated on the face, C A screw, D extends downward through the hub, D into the arm, D, and

forms an axle for the hub, D Thus the arm, D, is free to rotate, in a horizontal plane on the axial line of said screw and the hub, D. The upright shoulder, C is so positioned as to adapt it to form a stop for .sion.

illustrate other The a outer end of the arm, C, is cut away to form The. arm,

SEWING-'MACHINE-NEEDLE eusgan. j

P i m- 37 I JAMES G. B ILEY, or KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE. i

I 7 Specification of Letters Patent. Patented.F (-jb, Application filed March 19, 1920. Serial No. 367,132. v

ward extension, D which has an upright outer face.

E is the y he' ua'ra This is Seq cured t0 the outer face of the down extension,D by means of; screws, E ex- I Said body is form'ed from a piece or tending through said body-intosaid exten blank of flat sheet metal shown by Fig. 4.

In' the lower part of said blank are formed 'paralleluprightslots, E andin the upper Y part of said blank are formed-horizontal slots, E Near one edge and in the upper part of the blank are formed two'apertures,

E, which receive the screws, F1 Nearthe opposite edge of the blank and 'at'any convenient height is an a.perture,'E which reimately onehalf of a cylindricaltube. Then ceives the small handle, E After theblank 1 sheet has-been thus formed', it is curved by L bending the uprightedges rearward until the blank has assumedthe shape of approxv the handle is applied at. the aperture, E .and the screws, E are extended throughthe Y apertures, E into thedownwardextension,

D The slots, E and E reduce'the weight of the body andalso expose the needle and viewing the needle,'the upright'slotsserve needle bar to .view; For the purpose ofiaggregate strength of three horizontal ribs is given to the upper'pa'rt of the body; whereas'if the upright slotswere extended upward the. same as below, the upperpart of the bodywould have the strength .ofonly one horizontal ribJGreater strength is 1 needed ;:tor the upper part of. the; body be-,-

cause the attachment of the upper. end'of the 1 body to. the arm, D,,placeszthe.chief strains r onsaidpartfi' This manner of-makingthe body of the guard is convenient and econoinicah :The

blank shownby Fig. 4- may be cut :Withdies. l i

at'a single stroke; and a similar simple movement can afterwardbendthe blank into its curvedfform. The-manner of mounting T this body onthe arm,D,byplacingit against I may be easily manufactured in large quanwithoutfitting. The arm, 0, may be apthe upright face of'the downward extension, D is s'impleand effective. The ;arm,;D, 1-110 j tities and ready for, receiving "the body,'FJ,.:

needle. sired, or if especially close observation of plied to the presser bar without machining or otherwise changing said bar. This makes it possible to readily apply my improved guard to machines already in use. For this it is only necessary to remove the presser foot from the presser bar and to remove the screw, D so as to separate the arm, D, and the body, E, from the arm (I.

The arm, C, is to be so set as to reach forward at the left of the needle bar and bring the arm, D, into position to support the body, E, in front of and approximately concentric with the needle bar, said body extending to each side and across the front of the needle bar, whereby said body prevents the approach of the fingers of the operator from either side and from the front to the When access to the needle is dethe work is temporarily needed, the handle, E, is grasped by the hand of the operator and'the body of the arm, E, turned toward the left on the hinge formed by the screw,

D When said body is again to be put into the working position, that is accomplished by a return movement of said body until the arm, D, bears against the shoulder, C of the arm, C. If it is desired to effect adjustment by turning the arm, C, or changing its elevation on the presser bar, that may be accomplished after loosening the screw, 0

It is to be noted, that to secure safety, it

- is necessary to have the guard extend across illustrated by the preceding figures.

the front of the needle and also rearward opposite each side of the needle. It is also important to have means for readily moving the body of the guard so far away from the needle as to give free access and full view to the needle. Both of these conditions are met by my improvedstructure.

By combining the body, E, with the arm, D, as described, the same arm may be used with bodies of difierent lengths, according to the needs or preferences of customers, or as permitted byvarious forms of sewing machines.

In the form illustrated by Figs. 5 and 6, the structure is so formed as to adapt it to make'attachment with the presser bar at point higher than is the case with the form In this form, the arm, F, is in an upright plane, but leans rearward. At its upper end it has a rightward horizontal extension, F which overlaps a short arm, F on the hub, F which-surrounds the presser bar, A, and is secured to said bar by the set screw, F The arm, F is secured to the extension, F by a screw, F The lower end of the arm, F, has a horizontal leftward extension, F which makes a seat for the rearward extended left-hand end of the arm, G, which has a downward extension, G to which is secured the body, E, which is of the same form as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The rearward movedesired.

ment of the arm, G, is limited by contact with the part of the arm, F, which is adj acent the seat F, and acts as an abutment. The arm, F, and the hub, F may be made integral, if so desired; but when the hub is made separate as shown, it is adapted to be attached to arms, F, of different lengths, as may be required for different sewing machines. n

In the form shown inFigs. 7 and 8, the body, E, is of the same form as in the preceding iigures; but the arm, D, is supported by an arm, H, which is formed to attach to a presser bar which is located rearward and also leftward of the needle bar, and the attachment to the presser bar is made at a point higher than in Figs. 1 and 2. The main part of said arm, H, is upright. The upper end of said arm is bent rearward and supports a hub, H which surrounds the presser bar and is secured rigidly thereto by means of a set screw, H The lower end of saidarm has a forward extension, H which forms a seat for the hub, D of the arm,

D. When in the working position, the arm, D, bears against the arm,.H, whereby the rearward movement. of the arm, D, is arrested.

The form'illustrated by Figs. 9, 10 and 11 is also adapted to be attached to a presser bar which stands rearward and leftward of the needle bar; but the attachment of the through said hub, and engages the presser bar to fasten the hub to said bar. On the lower end of the upright bar, I, is an arm, 1*, which is horizontal and directed forward and has at its forward end an upright hub, 1 in which rests the upper end of a shaft, 1". A screw 1, extends into the upper end of the shaft and rests on a washer, 1 which surrounds said screw and rests on the upper face of said hub. On the lower face of the hub, 1 is a stud, I, and on the shaft, I", are two shoulders, 1 one of which engages the stud, 1 when the body, E, of the guard is in the working position and the other of which engages said stud when the body, E, has been turned toward the right as far as lower end upward almost to the hub, 1 and the upper part of the right hand edge of the body, E, has a rightward extension, E, which is inserted into and suitably secured, as by cross pins, I, or by soldering in the slot of said shaft. I

This improvement has been made and applied by applicant to factory sewing ma- The shaft, 1, is slotted from its chines used for the rapid sewingof heavy articles. on such machines for sewing the seams of heavyknit underwear consisting of two ieces and also union suits. In the manipuation of these heavy garments, considerable masses of the material are necessarily brought close to the needle, and said' masses are forcibly drawn toward the needle by the strong feed mechanism. Hence the needle guard must have such structure, as will adapt 1t to resist the impact of the garment as well as to'oppose the movement of the fingers of the operator holding the garment. The guard must resist the forward movement of the fingers plus the garment held by the fingers. Hence a structure is required which is both strong and positive in its action.

In some machines the attachment of the fixed arm to the presser bar is necessarily relatively high, and in such cases it is'desirable to extend the fixed arm downward as shown on the second sheet of the drawings.

' I claim as my invention,

1. In a sewing machine needle guard, th

combination of a first arm adapted to be secured adjustably on the presser bar of a sewing machine and having at its free end ahonzontal seat and an upright abutment adjacent said seat, a second arm hinged to the first arm on said seat for horizontal movement and adapted to approach the needle bar and to bear against said abutment, and a guard body having horizontal slots and upright slots and being secured to said second arm and adapted to stand at the front of and extend approximately half way around the needle, whereby the needle is guarded from the front and sides, substantially as described.

2. In a sewing machine needle guard, the

The improvement is being used combination of a curved upright body adapted to stand at the front of and extend approximately half way around the needle and said body havingupper horizontal slots and lower upright slots, a stationary arm 1 adapted to be secured rigidly to the ipresser bar, and a second arm hinged to'said stationary arm andsecured rigidly to one edge of said body, substantially as described.

3. In a sewing machine needleguard, the i I combination of a first arm adapted to be on said seatfor horizontal movement and adapted, to approach the needle bar and to bear against said abutment, and a guard body secured to said second arm and adapted to stand at the front of and extend approximately half way around the needle, whereby the needle is guarded from the front and sides, substantially as described.

4. In the sewing machine art, a sheet metal F needle guard blank having a plurality of horizontal and upright slots and apertured and being adapted to have its upright edge cylindrical tube, substantially as described,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, this l5th day of March, in the year I i one thousand nine hundred andtwenty.

portions bent rearward to form approxi JAMES G. BAILEY. V 

